In a recent interview with Yahoo Finance, Bill Gates mentioned that he and Buffett communicated more frequently than ever before during the epidemic. He also said he was discussing with Buffett how he could help the economy and society in the event of an epidemic.

At the beginning of this year, Gates predicted that the arrival of summer would not end the epidemic, and predicted that there would still be new regional outbreaks in the autumn, but fortunately, a vaccine was about to be developed. Otherwise, the economic damage caused by the epidemic will last for at least five years.

With regard to vaccine research and development, Gates believes that any pharmaceutical company should not think about profiting from vaccines, because at that time, global vaccine distribution and production will become a big problem, and if selfish, it will not only subvert the image of drug companies, but also slow down the progress of epidemic control to a certain extent.

Gates pointed out that if he were the president of the United States, he would not attack medical experts for no reason, but provide a voice channel for experts to keep the information of the public as reciprocal as possible.

When it comes to wearing masks, Gates said he could not understand the controversy over whether to wear masks, which are cheap and easy to wear, have no side effects and prevent the spread of the virus.

With regard to the economic aid program, Gates said the foundation is more concerned about the prevention and control of the disease itself, and will use 1% of the money to provide vaccine procurement for poor areas to demonstrate the selflessness of the United States in the face of major outbreaks and its sense of responsibility to the international community.

The following are some of the interviews translated by smart investors:

Buffett and I have talked more frequently recently than ever before.

问：I know you talked a lot to Buffett. What do you think of COVID-19 's epidemic and current situation?

Gates:Yes, Buffett and I have talked more frequently recently than ever before. About what political and economic issues mean to many companiesFor example, furniture sales are actually hitting an all-time high, while rail traffic is down from the peak.20%……The overall economic situation is still very difficult.As to which companies will survive, why the stock market is at its current high, and why interest rates are at this point, these are very complicated questions.

So Buffett and I are deeply attracted by the current world situation, we are trying to solve some of the things that are happening, see how they will develop, and want to provide some help as much as we can.

问：Buffett told me in March that you didn't think summer would make the virus disappear. Now it seems you were right. Why did you make this judgment?

Gates:Because after we reopen the economy, the number of infections is still rising.

The beginning of summer will be helpful to epidemic prevention, high temperatures will reduce the infectivity of the virus, but at the same time people will be more frequent outdoor activities.

If in the fall, we still do not have a breakthrough in treatment, and people do not comply with the mask rules, the situation will become more difficult.

Ironically, communities without major outbreaks are at greater risk in the autumn, just as in the spring, many cities say, "We are not New York," so keep opening up the economy even if the infection rate is on the rise.

Unfortunately, most parts of the United States have not taken serious measures to prevent and control the epidemic, so when autumn comes, many new areas may face a serious situation.

Around the world, the situation is similar in many places, with South America being hit hard by the epidemic and the number of infections in Africa continuing to rise.

But thankfully, the innovative vaccine will be developed soon, otherwise the negative impact of the epidemic will at least last.5For a long time.

No matter which pharmaceutical company takes the lead in developing successfully, it needs to abandon the idea of making a profit from the vaccine.

问：When it comes to vaccines, who do you think will be the first to succeed after August-September, Moderna Inc, Johnson & Johnson, or several companies at the same time? After success, how do you think the vaccine will be distributed globally?

Gates:No matter who is successfully developed in the end, AstraZeneca PLC or Johnson & Johnson, what we need is factories all over the world to put into production. Because of the huge demand, vaccine production will become the most urgent problem, and the only solution is mass production, and factories in India and Europe, whether or not the United States is directly involved, need to be put into production.

Therefore, successful companies have to have a global perspective, not just want to profit from it, so that we can plan a global production plan, and even so, we may face a shortage of vaccines.

But even if we take risks, we will subsidize these factories. The vaccine has two biggest benefits, one is that it can stop the spread of the virus, and the other is that it can prevent the vaccinator from getting sick. The results of the first clinical trials of the vaccine may be only 50% effective, while our goal is to be 90% effective, cheap and capable of mass production.

问：So can successfully developed pharmaceutical companies profit from it?

Gates:If you work with US agencies to develop a vaccine, there will be provisions to limit the final pricing, but there are one or two companies that choose to fund their own development, such as Pfizer Inc investing in research and development and then buying options for the US government. in this case, there will be a slight difference.

For poor countries, manufacturers had better make only a small profit on any drug.

For developing countries, vaccine manufacturers had better not think about making profits, or they will make the pharmaceutical industry look ugly. Of course, what I most want to see is that these pharmaceutical companies that have shown great innovation can gain a better reputation after the epidemic than when it happened.

If you were the president of the United States,

问：If you were president of the United States now, what would you do?

Gates:It may not be wise to denigrate Dr. Fauci (that Trump has repeatedly accused Dr. Fauci of misleading the public).

You need to get experts to speak up on television and radio about which drugs are effective or ineffective after clinical trials-you can't mislead the public about this.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) is the world's leading organization for disease prevention and control.Dr. Fauci and I often discuss innovative approaches to vaccines, the Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is also funding the first two batches of vaccine research and development.

Our country is capable of carrying out this series of actions, as long as a website is set up in the name of CDC, which will automatically prioritize clinical trials.

Key figures from both parties are now wearing masks to send a message: "Let's wear masks to protect others," and then engage in a complex discussion about what measures would be good for restarting the economy. But if you say that the school infection in a community is very serious, then you know that it is difficult to restart the community.

I don't understand why people argue about whether to wear masks or not.

问：You just mentioned masks. Do you think the country should force people to wear masks?

Gates:There is almost no harm in wearing masks. I don't even understand why people argue about whether to wear masks. Masks are cheap, easy to wear and have no side effects. Wear a mask when you go out, because you will meet other people-we all know that not only coughing, but talking can also spread the virus.
问：Have you considered the issue of funding or economic stimulus packages related to the epidemic, and have you weighed the pros and cons? Or how do you think it will be implemented?

Gates:Our foundation's experts are still more concerned about the disease itself, where foreign aid and resource allocation are crucial, such as funding for treatment and vaccine development.

And we are not only concerned about the epidemic in the United States, we are talking about using 1% funding to buy vaccines for developing countries, not only for humanitarian reasons or to strengthen the international leadership of the United States, but also to stop the flow of the virus from abroad from the source.

Although we have been funding medical research and development, we have not funded vaccine procurement in poor countries before.

The 1 per cent aid package will show that the US, as in previous pandemics of smallpox, HIV, polio and Ebola, is not only selfishly funding its own factories, but also selflessly helping the world.

This is very exciting, so I communicate with the government and pharmaceutical companies every day to make sure that we can provide assistance to the world.